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Shubh Divali/Diwali/Deepawali to all !

My favorite holiday of the year is upon us again. As a child of various cultures I celebrate many holidays but Divali has a special place in my heart. I might only be a Hindu at Heart but as I said in a few posts before this is the only holiday that makes me cry with its beauty.

Here in Trinidad I am normally working producing news but I usually go to the home of a friend after work to see the lights as I drive and eat with close friends. There is something about this holiday that touches me deeply. Childhood memories of lighting deyas at my paternal grandparent’s home – Presbyterian but clearly hedging their bets. The smell of burning coconut oil. The thrill of us kids being allowed to be near fire to replenish the coconut oil to keep the lights burning.

Every year as I drive I see the humblest of homes spend whatever little money they have to welcome goddess Laxshmi in and celebrate the triumph of light over darkness. I guess that is also what I stand for. The triumph of truth over denial.

I cry because I know in every one of those homes I am welcome as would be any stranger because Divali is about that. So every home no matter how humble is a celebration of the human spirit: of faith in a better world. Divali is a universal celebration. Who wouldn’t want light in their life?